Another perms and combs question haha, ruse paper (2003)
All the letters of the word ENCUMBRANCE are arranged in a line. Find the total number of arrangements, which contain all the vowels in alphabetical order but separated by at least one consonant.
I would love to see an easier method, but ........
Allocate
positions to the four vowels (1 to 11).
Total number of selections: 11C4 = 330
Number of selections with 4 vowels together:
Pick the first position of the block (1 to 8)
8 ways
Number of selections with 3 vowels together (but not 4):
(9 ways of picking the first position of the block) times (8 ways of placing the 4th vowel) minus (TWICE 8 ways of getting four vowels in a row ... because you can get 4 in a row in TWO ways - the triple then the single, and vice versa)
56 ways
Number of selections of the vowels occurring in two separated pairs:
(9C2 ways of picking the first position of each pair) minus (8 ways of getting 4 in a row) [you can't get 3 in a row]
28 ways
(We don't double the 8 because picking say positions 2/3 for one pair and 4/5 for the second has NOT been counted twice earlier)
Number of selections with 2 vowels together (but not 3 or 4 or two pair)
(10 ways of picking the first position of the pair) times (9C2 ways of placing the other two vowels) - (THRICE 8 ways of getting 4 in a row ... the pair can come at the start, in the middle or at the end) - (TWICE 56 ways of getting 3 in a row) - (TWICE 28 ways of getting 'two pair')
168 ways
(This time the number of ways of picking two pairs WAS counted twice at the start)
Total no of ways = 330 - 168 - 28 - 56 - 8 = 70
There is only ONE ordering with this choice, so the count remains at 70.
Arrange the consonants in the remaining spaces:
7!/(2!2!) = 1260
Total: 70 times 1260 = 88200
EDIT: I see there IS an easier solution below.